Creating Characters

I read a little discussion on creating new characters today at Trollhalla. There are, of course, many, many ways of going about this.

When I first played Tunnels & Trolls, I always rolled 3d6, first for STR, then for IQ - I worked my way through the attributes in strict order. If you rolled a weak character, well - you made it a dwarf or an elf!

It was, for a short time, a delving landscape devoid of humans. Oh well, never mind! I wanted to play a Lord of the Rings-Norse Myths game, not a real world with magic version. Then I remembered Conan and needed a change so...

I introduced a table so you rolled for kindred on 2d6 and it was weighted towards humans. We played lots of weak human and lots of the died - quickly.

In more recent times, although I very much enjoy games with low level characters, I have often wanted to begin with stronger characters so that I can dip into more of the magic of the game. So, we have used different methods of character creation.

The point here is the plural - not just one - horses for courses. Some won't allow for TARO and specialists - fine, we won't always use them.

First cab off the rank was letting players roll eight sets of numbers with 3d6 and then let them assign them to an attribute as they saw fit. Players tend to enjoy that one.

Then there is the method of setting a point total and letting players distribute them as they see fit (NO TARO here). Ken did this in the 'Seven Challenges' of 2012 (his limit of 80 was rather stingy but suited the adventure). I have found this to be less popular with players because there is no dice rolling. It is easy using this method to generate a party of a particular level by putting an upper level on any one attribute. This irons out the dwarf/elf superiority effect because the selected attribute numbers are not modified.

Another method I have used is to assign particular numbers of d6 to particular attributes. You don't get any TARO but you do get dice rolling and players seem to get a buzz from the 'advantage' of rolling say 5d6 for STR or whatever.

This week, where I wanted a bunch of wizards of particular levels created, I decided on a total number of d6 rolls for each level - to create a Level 13 wizard, I gave 120d6 for players to distribute amongst the eight attributes as they saw fit. You need to allocate 3d6 for the laws of probability to get you up to each level - 3d6 should get you 10.5 and that's is Level 1 on a relevant attribute for the class; 6d6 would get you 21 and give a L2 attribute so for L13 you would need to assign 3d6 x 13 = 39d6 of your total of 120d6 to be statistically likely to have the relevant attribute bringing you L13 status - leaving 81d6 for the other attributes (suddenly doesn't seem such a generous award). If you don't like rolling dice that much (saddo!), no problem! Just substitute 3d6 for each d6 you don't want to roll. For your L13 wizard, you could allocate 39d6 to INT and decide to roll just 2d6! The first 37 give you 3.5 times 37 = 129.5 so you only need 0.5 (half!) on those 2d6 you actually roll to reach your target of 130. Or you could roll 39d6.

There is no method I would always use and that, quite simply, is what I would recommend to you, dear reader.

Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls: dynamic, flexible, whatever...

or

Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls: whatever you need to make it fizz!

Wow - there on the Trollhalla sidebar!

I've neglected this poor blog since the end of this year, when I was happily writing about my adventures in one of Andy Holmes' solos.

Then, out of the blue, Andy James emailed me and asked if this was my current blog address as he was going to add it and my new solo, Deception: Strangebrew's Chambers of the Unknown, to the Trollhalla sidebar. That feels like becoming a 13th Level Wizard and having some standing in the Guild!

So, my resolution is to post on here much more regularly.

Thanks to Andy and to all those who helped with getting Deception' to it's launch pad. The hardest part has been making a printed book. In the end, I just had to give up with Drive Thru and the Lightning Source template as I just kept getting it wrong time and time again.

Then I looked at Lulu and saw the rosy light of a new dawn! So, for me, it's Drive Thru for pdfs and Lulu for books. I now know that I could have uploaded a much bigger cover jpeg to Lulu so I will replace the one I hit the jackpot with. The two copies I ordered might not be perfect resolution but they will take a while to reach New Zealand.

While I ordered 'Deception'. I was spurred into buying Andy H's 'Liche-Lord' GM adventure, which Ken gave high praise to. I'm lucky, unlike many, because I will have a group to GM it for. We all loved 'Goblin Crag' so much that it will be a priority to play when it arrives in the mailbox.

I hope, once the dT&T workload lightens, to have Steve Crompton draw up Khaghtch'an, the Kraken Continent, into a beautiful colour map, in the style of the Eagle and Dragon Continents. That will be amazing - our games have really taken on new life since the setting was resolved (and keeps getting bigger and more complex).

At the moment, I'm stuck into writing a solo for wizards who can win an alien bride, set in the foul Jungles of Phantog.

We are play-testing my giga-solo, 'The Poisoned Chalice' this weekend. It just didn't work well for one character so I switched it over to being for a group of six and now we are flying!

I think my next book release will be a six-pack omnibus edition of 2012 work, all currently available as pdfs. This will be 5 solos of varying length and one GM adventure. I think an experienced gamer can 'solo' a GM adventure just as it is easy to 'GM' solos. I have written a 'dirty tricks' option for Rotten Borough - Election Special in which you vie to become the new Mayor of Stoneydaze (those citizens are a tad idealistic, I admit!). I think that should give a good shot of re-playability.

It makes me realise how easy it is to write an add-on for any adventure. Maybe I'll have a think about the great 'Arena of Khazan' which after so many years is really just an opportunity for experienced players to make characters rich quick.

Enough already. Thanks again, Andy :)

A World Full of Wizards

This is a consideration of the WIZ attribute and I shall centre it upon humans.

Why is Trollworld not bursting at the seams with human wizards? At first glance it ought to be! How so?

The average roll of 3d6 is 10.5 and so most humans should pass the 1st Level wizards' test - 10 for INT and 10 for DEX. Ah but maybe no one teaches them and that's why so may are just citizens. I don't believe this is so...

The Wizards' Guild was formed to counter the law-breaking of people with the ability to cast spells. The idea was that spells would be standardissed and social engineering would go hand in hand with magical tuition in classes so that graduating wizards would keep the law, by and large, and the rulers would be better served.

It wasn't a matter of money - the rulers wanted to net as many fish as they could. Rogues are literally rogue wizards - people who the trawling nets have missed and have not been 'programmed' magically or ethically. (I see no reason why they should have just one spell or that the spells they have should be just as those the Guild teaches but that's another story.)

The explanation for the comparative lack of wizards, given that the INT and DEX starting requirements are so modest, might be this: there are two types of WIZ.

The common one gives rise to spell resistance and everyone has it to some degree, even though it may be very weak. The rarer version allows spell casting. The Wizards' Guild attempts to assess every citizen and then trains those who have the rarer WIZ quality.

That's how it works on Khaghtch'an, the Kraken Continent, anyhow.

Sir Geoffery gets rich, has no need for anti-perspirant and forms a cunning plan

Putting such thoughts aside (you'll have to read the last post!), he determined to explore the upper gallery next. A place overgrown with vines and filled with intriguing statues, it surprisingly yielded no booty and no danger. Scarcely believing this dearth of risk and reward, the knight descended and headed north into a section of the castle sadly decayed by the passing years. It was a mess. He reckoned there was no immediate danger so he left the security of the entrance archway and set about searching methodically.

In game terms, this meant increasingly difficult LK saving rolls with the prospect of getting lost if a commeasurately high INT SR was not made at the end of the treasure trawl. L7 was the top LK ask – with INT of 20 even with a 6 level bonus, Sir Geoffery accepted that he would lose his way. It dawned on him that at the earliest opportunity he should pray for increased intellect.

Truth to tell, this time proved to be a calm cruise in happy hunting grounds for de Boyks. He turned up a total booty bonus of 15,710 gold pieces in value – far too heavy to take out by himself. He successfully battled a skeleton and a mountain gorilla without breaking sweat, as well as a vampire. In two of the fights, he would have taken one point of spite damage but I ruled that as he won so overwhelmingly, these enemies didn’t manage to even touch Sir Geoffery (house rule: if the difference in combat totals is vast, the victor gets a L1 SR on LK to avoid spite – if an ant does battle with a dragon and rolls a 6, I’m not going to be quick to smack the dragon with a point of damage) – so no vampire infection.

The hero pulled up a heavy stone with a flick of his wrist and located an amulet which uplifted his strength by 3 when worn. He got another weapon – this time a plain sword enchanted to give the wielder’s STR in dice. For de Boyks, that is 63 currently! Only one add though…

Twice he got a bad feeling as he explored and heeded the intuition. A plan grew in his mind – go to Khaboom and team up with an experienced and trustworthy wizard to complete the cleansing of the castle and hire a team of dwarves to demolish the parts of the castle beyond repair and then rebuild and renovate. Satisfied with this plan, he hid the cash and legged it out of his by now favourite creepy hang out.

As he sauntered back to the village, a longer term plan fermented: to find a witch wife to forge a more permanent partnership with, in which he would – after a little playtime – be able to sleep easily at night.

Sir Geoffery and the Castle of Death

I'm going to write up the next exciting installment of our favourite knight in shining armour's adventures in the creepy but treasure-laden castle.

I think he's likely - if he survives and gets more loot - to employ a troop of dwarves and a couple of elven mages to clean out the castle and then have the dwarves stabilise what can be salvaged of the masonry before he hires a bunch of carpenters and navies to spruce it up to habitable standard.

Do you think this is fair, to take a sole setting apart, milk it for all its worth and live the life of Riley (assuming he was a happy fellow)?

Rotten Borough - Election Special: Dirty tricks option

I'm adding a dirty tricks option to the election solo where you try to be elected as the Mayor of Stoneydaze - its up on DriveThru with Fairyland included.

I've generated a menu of 11 'dirty tricks' - anyone got any suggestions?

My brain is custard after a haaarrrd week...

Underwater Kindreds

A concept for a new solo grew on me yesterday. Now I need to brainstorm under the sea trollworld kindreds - if anyone has any offerings, they will be greatly received and probably included.

kia ora

Mark/Khaghbboommm